


What Comes from the Deep

by tinktheloser



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Little Mermaid Fusion, F/M, i just wanted to write fenris with a tail, mermaid au, we all have a weakness for mermaid shit ok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2019-03-06 00:07:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13399185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinktheloser/pseuds/tinktheloser
Summary: Fenris wants to live among the land-dwellers. Hawke wants to find whoever saved her from drowning.In which Fenris is mute and Hawke thoroughly enjoys the company of the weird guy she found on the beach.





	What Comes from the Deep

Fenris’ head broke the surface of the dark sea, silent among the lilting waves. The sky above him resembled the water around him; endless dark with clouds stirring and murmuring whispers of a nearby storm. But the distant lightning wasn’t what caught his interest on this early hour of the morning.

Towering above him, like a slow, creaking beast, drifted a massive, wooden ship he’d seen land-dwellers upon. At the bow, a sculpted mermaid pointed to the horizon from where she was bound to the ship. Fenris flicked his tail at the sight of her blank stare, and he considered returning to the depths.

Cheers suddenly burst above him, startling him into almost ducking below, but he held fast and flicked his tail more forcefully, pushing himself through the water until he could touch the side of the ship with his fingertips. He scanned the railings, then released a breath when there was no one to spot him. The crew onboard sounded as though they were celebrating something. The glow of their lanterns— _fire!_ Fenris realized with a smile—illuminated the billowing sails against the darkness of the dawn. He spotted a land-dweller—a man—climbing down one of the masts. He sank down until his nose brushed the water, a flare of envy catching him off-guard.

His skin tingled with the current of something moving next to him, and another head poked out of the water. Large, reflective eyes blinked at him.

Fenris gave her a flat look. “You didn’t have to follow me,” he murmured.

Merril smiled. “I know,” she replied. “But you’re not the only one curious.”

“You could get into trouble.”

“So could you.”

Fenris huffed. “I am not planning on staying long. You shouldn’t either.”

“Of course.” Merril looked up, her eyes squinting at something above them. Her markings glinted in the lamplight. Fenris followed her gaze, found an opening in the side of the ship, just under the railings. A small plank jutted out from it.  Light poured through, shadows flicking across as land-dwellers moved about.

“I believe that’s where the cannons go,” Merril spoke, her eyes twinkling, her whispering voice arching in excitement.

Fenris blinked. “A what.”

“Oh! It’s those heavy barrel thingies that explode,” she explained, lifting her hands out of the water to gesture as emphasis. “Remember that thing we found in the Deep Wastes? It still had one of those balls inside. I think that’s what the cannon throws out when it goes _boom_ —”

“So it is a weapon.”

“Yes! Yes? I think. I couldn’t imagine what else it could be, though humans _are_ a little strange—”

“Merril.”

Merril pursed her lips shut, though they still curved upward in a sheepish grin. “Right. I was going to say we could climb up there and have a look.”

Fenris stared at her a moment, then looked up again, saying slowly, “And how, exactly, would we do that.” Merfolk weren’t exactly known for their skill in climbing, after all.

Merril pointed to a series of wooden blocks trailing down the side of the ship. “With those. I think it’s called a lodder. Letter. Ladder?”

Before Fenris could protest, Merril was already swimming toward the “ladder”. She reached up, grasped the lowest wrung with her webbed fingers, and pulled herself up. Her back and shoulder muscles contracted with effort, and a few grunts escaped her, but she turned head to give him a giddy smile with a flick of her mossy, green tail.

Music poured from the deck of the ship, a cheerful mixture of what sounded like a stringed instrument and a raspy, melodic voice. It sounded like a woman. His eyes widened as the notes caressed his ears. Like waves gently moving against stone, her voice carried through the words with practiced ease and drunken fervor. Other voices soon joined to form a tone-deaf chorus, clacks of glass and wood sounding as the crew banged their drinks together. 

Fenris shook his head of the trance, ignoring the amused look Merril was giving and reaching up to grip the rung of the ladder.

That is, until something tugged as his tail.

His breath hitched, but he schooled his features as he looked down into his sister’s unimpressed expression.

“Varania,” he said, trying to keep his lips from curving into a smile.

Varania released his tail, lifting her head just high enough above the surface for him to hear her speak. “You are _so_ predictable,” she muttered, only just audible over the chorus that still sang above him. Then, her eyes moved to Merril, who was steadily closing in on the small opening and didn’t bother to acknowledge their latest company. “I suppose you want me to keep this to myself?”

“You didn’t _have_ to follow me,” Fenris said, echoing his earlier statement to Merril.

“Of course I did,” Varania replied, seeming nearly offended at the thought. “Who else is going to keep you out of trouble? _Merril_?”

Fenris snorted. “I’d like to think I am capable of taking care of myself.”

“Keep telling yourself that, little brother.”

Fenris opened his mouth to argue, but Merril suddenly giggled. “Oh, _Varania_ you _have_ to come see this!”

Varania rolled her eyes. “I’ll stay down here, thank you,” she said, then turned back to Fenris. “Don’t take too long.”

Fenris nodded. “Thank you.”

“Mmhmm.”

It didn’t take long for Fenris to pull himself up next to Merril, whose face glowed in the light of the lanterns, her wide eyes glinting. He shifted to sit on the edge of a ladder wrung to peer through the opening, blinking against the bright light.

The crew was a colorful mix of land-dwellers that stumbled and danced across the deck. Most of their cheeks were rosy with the drink that sloshed out of their mugs as they lifted them to their laughing lips. Their feet, covered in what Fenris recalled to be “boots”, clunked loudly against the wood of the deck, creating a clatter that surprisingly complimented the rhythm of the song.

Merril sighed, leaning against the plank. “Oooh, _she’s_ beautiful,” she murmured.

Fenris glanced at Merril, then followed her gaze to find that she was staring at a dark-skinned woman who hardly seemed to comply with land-dweller’s general rules of clothing. Or, in her case, a lack thereof. She wore a long shirt that cut off at her thighs, the neckline traveling low down her chest to reveal an impressive bust. A simple piece of cloth bound her thick, wavy hair back. The golden jewelry on her neck, her wrists, her ears, and her lip glinted in the light of the lanterns, bouncing to the beat as she danced with a short, hairy man. A dwarf, he realized, who’s throaty laughter warmed the whole deck. Curls of chest hair poked out from the low collar of his coat.

Merril’s cheeks slowly reddened as she stared at the woman, and Fenris bit down on a remark. Instead, he looked upon the rest of the crew. Many of them still sang, their voices clashing together in an uneven but somehow charming harmony.

Then, his eyes landed on one human in particular.

Her pale, freckled skin was flushed with drink, her cheeks split by a wide smile as she sang. Her dark, red hair had been cropped short, her fringe tossing side to side as she spun to the rhythm. She wore simple coverings, a tunic and dark leggings tucked into her boots, though they bore threading just a tad finer than the rest of the crew.

Then, with a quiet hitch of his breath, he realized she’d been the one he’d heard singing before. Her raspy voice felt like a gentle touch, a warm breath upon his ears. It was a stark contrast to the mismatch of the rest of the crew’s throaty belting.

The other woman with the golden jewelry sauntered up to her, whispered something in her ear, and they both laughed.

Then, something large and furry blocked their view. Merril gasped in startlement, and she flung herself off to splash back into the water. Fenris merely blinked at the beast that stared at him, a long, slobbering tongue lolling from its mouth. Its tail whipped back and forth, then the tongue accosted Fenris’ face. He spluttered as the beast licked every inch of his cheeks and nose and mouth, and he leaned back to escape. The beast uttered a sharp noise, like a seal’s bark, and lowered the front half of its body, its rump sticking up in the air as its tail continued to wag.

“Beanie-boy!” a voice called. “Whotcher got there?”

Fenris hastily ducked under the plank, pressed himself against the side of the ship. The beast, Beanie-boy, barked again. Fenris looked up to see the woman, the one who had been singing, looking over the railing. Her hair fluttered in the breeze, and she brushed some of it behind her ear with her fingers. However, she didn’t look down, so Fenris was content to stare at her as she gazed at the water that rippled with the wake of the ship.

She folded her arms together and rested them on the rail, breathed deeply through her nose, letting the air gently flow past her lips. Her eyes swept across the horizon, where the first rays of dawn crept above the water, hair glowing like a halo from the light behind her.

Fenris felt as though he’d been bound to the ship, like the carving on the bow, his body ignoring any notion that he should flee. Instead, he leaned forward, just barely, to get a better look at the woman. Still she didn’t look down, and he was hidden enough not to catch her notice. Bits of light reflected from the water caught the underside of her jaw, casting eerie shadows that flickered with the sway of the sea.

A splash sounded close to the bow, and the woman’s head jerked in that direction. “Beanie-boy” barked again, and his footfall carried him away. Fenris peeked out from under the plank, curled his tail under the ladder wrung. The woman paused. Her head turned back towards Fenris’ direction, and she leaned forward, closer, enough to see him if she really looked—

“Ship ahoy!” a distant voice shouted. “Far off starboard!”

A frown pinched her brow, and she turned away again as the music died down and the dancing ceased. Fenris exhaled, then craned his neck to look back through the opening. The crew gathered on the opposite side, the woman pushing through them as the other, bustier woman withdrew a scope from somewhere he couldn’t discern.   

Fenris pressed himself closer, straining to hear the low murmurs that spread through the crew. Tension steadily rose, unease written in the shoulders of the woman he’d watched. If only he could _hear_ —

“ _Fenris!_ ” Varania’s voice hissed from below. “Let’s _go!_ ”

Fenris looked down to see her and Merril peering up at him, panic in their eyes. He glanced back at the huddled crew, torn. The woman had pushed through to the other side, looking into a scope. A line of tension crossed her shoulders, and he could almost taste the unease of the crew. He wanted to find out as much as he could about land-dwellers, if only he had the time. With a sigh, he pushed himself from the ship and dove into the arms of the waiting sea.

Before he met up with the others, he quickly swam to the other side of the ship, surfacing once more to catch a glimpse of what had caught the attention of the crew. Another ship, with red sails and a shape foreign to these waters. Lightning flashed overhead, illuminating it briefly, like a phantom in the dark. Shapes scurried about on the deck. He frowned. It was on a course heading directly for them.

 _Let the land-dwellers be,_ he recalled a Keeper once telling him. _Their business is not ours._

Fenris huffed to himself, then submerged once more.

He let himself drift under as Varania and Merril caught up with him. Lightning flashed again above the surface, outlining them and the ship in eerie silhouettes. He didn’t hear the following thunder, but could imagine its deep rumble shaking the wooden structure of the ship. He wished he could float at the surface and just listen to the cries of the wind and roars of thunder. Sounds were different above water, purer and sharper. Sometimes, _louder_.

Fenris’ eyes shot open when his ears picked up a distant explosion. A burst of light spread over the surface, encasing the ship in what looked to be—

“Oh dear, they’ve caught their ship on fire,” Merril said as she drew next to him.

The flames engulfed the ship, encircling it like a deathly halo. Muffled explosions rippled across the water in shockwaves. Fenris stared, his heart pounding. This was no mere weapon of the land-dwellers. It more resembled the old magic of the deep. But did it truly exist above the surface?

A small, black, oval shape moved slowly away from the ship. Shadows of the survivors flickered through the smoker haze. His tail twitched. Was that woman on that tiny vessel? Had she escaped?

A hand on his elbow.

“We must leave,” Varania told him, softly but urgently.

Fenris opened his mouth, unsure of what he wanted to say, but somehow certain it was something of a protest.

Then, the blazing ship started breaking apart with a series of haunting cracks. Debris sank into the water. Something broke the surface in the corner of his eye. A shadow, almost mistakeable for a piece of the ship among the curtain of bubbles speeding upward. He turned his head and squinted, eyes widening when he recognized the figure as a human. Though he could only make out the lean silhouette, it was startlingly familiar.  

Without a word, Fenris brushed past Varania and hastily beat his tail through the hazy water, ignoring her protests as the distance between them increased. The woman wasn’t moving, not even trying to kick to the surface. All odds pointed to her death, but he needed to be sure.

As he approached, a long, cindering sail mast fell through the water close to the woman. The current dragged her further down, and her body tossed around in the swarm of bubbles. Bruises were already appearing on her skin, a steady stream of blood spread out through the water from somewhere around her waist.

But, he noticed, bubbles still emerged from her mouth and nose. It was all he needed.

Fenris gently placed his hands on either side of her neck. Still warm. A faint pulse beat against his palm. He looked upon her. Her short hair drifted in the tumultuous current and framed her pale face. Her eyes were closed.

He grasped her underarms, just under the shoulders, and, with a powerful stroke of his tail, pushed upward until they both broke the surface.

She did not, however, intake a gasp of air like he’d hoped. He wrapped an arm around her torso, letting her limp body lay against his front. What could he do? He could hardly breathe _for_ her.

Merril’s head popped up next to him.

“She’s alive?” she asked.

Fenris nodded. “But she’s not breathing. And she’s bleeding.”

Merril frowned. “I think I can help.”

She placed a hand on the woman’s chest and another on her stomach. A dim, blue light glowed briefly under her fingers. The quiet, filled by the crackling of the burning ship, stretched into a long, silent moment. Fenris hardly dared to breathe.

Then, the woman gasped, coughed, spluttering water from her mouth. She jerked in his grasp in a blind panic. He struggled to keep her head above the surface as she fought. She was stronger than she appeared, he noted as she seemed desperate to escape. Still, after a moment, she fell limp again. Most importantly, she continued breathing.

“Poor thing,” Merril cooed, withdrawing her hands . “She’s exhausted.”

The woman’s head lolled on Fenris’ shoulder, and he was inclined to agree.

“Go back with Varania,” Fenris told Merril. “Tell her I’ll be there shortly.”

“Where are you going?”

“I will return her to shore.”

* * *

Getting her to shore was a tad more difficult than Fenris had anticipated, and he regretted not asking for Merril’s assistance. Not only did he have to support the woman’s dead weight, he also had to keep her head above water. The sun was well into the sky and his muscles were sore by the time he reached land.

Dragging her onto the beach was another matter entirely. His tail was meant for swimming, not leveraging himself against shifting sands. Eventually, though, the woman lay on her back a safe distance away from the tide, and Fenris collapsed next her, chest heaving.

As he caught his breath, Fenris stared into the brightening sky. The storm clouds had moved on, leaving behind smaller, wispier clouds to form a thin cover. The breeze chilled his skin, goosebumps raising under the sand that clung to his body. He closed his eyes a moment. It had been a long time since he’d allowed himself to touch land. Just for a moment, he could pretend he could stand up and walk away, away from the sea and the secrets of the deep.

The moment passed, and Fenris opened his eyes. He turned his head to stare at the unconscious woman next to him. She breathed steadily, though somewhat shallowly. Her head lolled to the side, her damp clothes and skin coated with sand just as he was. Her freckles stood out even more against her flushed cheeks. He wondered if she was cold.

Fenris rolled over and propped himself up on his elbows. He reached out and gently placed his hand on her cheek, brushing the sand off and moving her bangs to the side. As the waves crashed their steady rhythm and the gulls scuttering along the beach cried for food, he studied the woman’s face. Her jaw was sharp, a strong anchor for her features. Her nose had been broken in at least one or two places. Her cheeks had a rosy tinge, whether a natural hue or tinted by the sun, he wasn’t sure. The cheekbones rested high on her face, forming a noble frame. Her lips, chapped as they were, were wide and full, surrounded by lines made by a life of laughter.

Plainly put, she was beautiful. But more than anything, Fenris wished he could see her eyes. Back on the ship, it had been too dark to see the details. Seeing them, however, would come at the cost of her awakening, and he wasn’t sure if that was a risk he should take.

And yet, just as the notion crossed his mind, she shifted, startling him from his thoughts. Several, wet coughs suddenly wracked her body. He took her head in his hands, holding her steady, angling her face to the side so she wouldn’t choke. Her breaths were coming sharper, more panicked. She was waking up.

Before he could react, one of her hands reached up and covered one of his in a soft, uncertain grip. Fenris’ breath hitched. He should leave. He should have already returned to the sea by now. Varania was already going to give him a tongue-lashing, and this would only make things worse.

But then, her eyes blinked open, and he was caught in her entrancing gaze. They were a warm brown, like some corals in a certain light, or the dark sands he’d once seen in the Antivan seas. Her brows pinched together, and she squinted against the bright sun. Confusion and disorientation crossed her features as she stared up at him. If he stayed any longer, she’d soon realize what he was, where he came from. A strong, alluring temptation seized his heart. If only—

“Hawke!”

Fenris jerked his head up. Other land-dwellers, some of the crew he’d seen before, were scouring the beach in a search party. The beast from the ship had its nose to the ground, its barks carrying across the beach. He recognized the voice of the dwarf. Too far to spot him, but close enough that they would if he stayed. He glanced back down at the woman. Hawke. A strong name. She’d be safe.

She’d closed her eyes again, and he turned back to the sea.

**Author's Note:**

> how many more chapters can i wring out of this, i wonder


End file.
